Tidy up your desktop

I recently discovered the “snap to grid” feature on OS X, which automatically arranges any files you drag onto your desktop (or any specific Finder folder) into a grid. I suggested this as a full post and everyone said “duh, everyone knows that” but now I’m making it my upgrade, SO THERE.

Invest in your photography habit

“Switch” up your gaming setup

I recently purged my cozy apartment of quite a few video games, despite my devotion to the hobby since my older brother handed me a black Game Boy Pocket with Pokemon Red inside. The physical keep cases were taking up space, and the consoles, dormant for months at a time, were simply collecting dust under my TV. The decision wasn’t an easy one, but I managed to ditch three consoles along with dozens of games. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a freeing experience, though it did leave a controller-shaped hole in my heart. So I used the accumulated funds to add a new game console to my pseudo-minimalist entertainment setup: the Nintendo Switch. Ditching old consoles for a new one is certainly a bittersweet moment, but after snagging a hot commodity like the $299 Switch along with a few games and accessories for under $100, I think I’ll manage.

patrick austin, staff writer

Get a jump on your morning caffeine routine

I started setting up my coffee pot at night—grinding the beans, filling the water reservoir, etc., so I just hit a button in the morning. It has greatly improved my mornings.

claire lower, food & beverage editor

Advertisement

Make your own ink (!)

I made my own ink using the husks of black walnuts, which grow everywhere around here, including my back yard. All you do is boil them with a source of iron (I used steel wool) and eventually you get a dark liquid. I’ve got a twitter thread with some pictures here. I thought I was going to end up with some kind of weak brown soup, but it turns out walnut ink is excellent for writing and drawing. Supposedly renaissance artists used it; certainly people in America did before factory-made inks were common. Nowadays you can buy imitation walnut ink from art supply stores, but I don’t need to. I made my own for free!

beth skwarecki, health editor

Finalize your seasonal clothing swap

Fall in New York has been really gross and warm this year (it shouldn’t be 70-80 degrees in mid-October!!), but last weekend, I threw caution to the wind and swapped out all my summer clothes for my fall/winter options, tidying up my room and rearranging my clothing storage setup in the process. (I bought a few of these under-bed storage bags, which are working out quite nicely.) This also forced me to make a plan for how to store and preserve my nicer winter coats, which had previously been stuffed into one of those plastic Ikea bins that doesn’t close properly. I’m excited to feel like it’s fall, at least psychologically, and have gotten my home a little more organized in the process.